International Journal of Trend in Scientific
Research and Development (IJTSRD)
International Open Access Journal
ISSN No: 2456 - 6470 | www.ijtsrd.com | Volume - 1 | Issue – 6
Church Leaders and Followers Exchange in
n Africa:
A Media Phenomenological Analysis
Desmond Onyemechi Okocha
Research Scholar, Department of Media and Mass Communication,
NIMS University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
ABSTRACT
The paper observes that for Africa to overcome the
crises of leadership and governance in the continent,
those on whom the burden of Church leadership fall
on must fully comprehend their responsibilities, duties
and obligation. It equally argues in defence of the
thesis thatt for sustainable leadership success, both the
leaders and the led must be consciously and
purposefully involved. They must also be exposed and
be prepared to face the challenges of leadership in
developing society. Since the long term salvation of
developing
ing countries depends on the quality of its
future leaders there must therefore be functional
leaders-followers exchange.
Keywords: Leadership, Church Leaders, Followers,
African Church, Expectations
INTRODUCTION:
The collective stories of Africa right from the birth of
the continent and her people are centered around
empires, kingdoms, kings, heroic deeds, and the likes.
These are part of the continent’s proud history and
heritage. Many renowned researchers have explored
and affirmed that civilization started
tarted from Africa
especially in Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Anthropologic studies have credited Africa for
providing great leaders in all spheres of life in the
ancient times.
Utilizing phenomenological method and qualitative
analysis, this piece will observe the issue of leaders
leaders-
followers exchange in the African Christian
community and link it to the wider continental
leadership debate.
Africa’s contribution to leadership philosophy both
spiritual and secular has also been remarkable. Two
examples: Africa
frica was the birthplace of Ubuntu – the
belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all
humanity. It also gave rise to Satyagraha and the
notion of passive resistance, which Gandhi developed
while living in Africa and transported to India later
on.. Both are known around the world.1
Paleoanthropologists state that Africa is the oldest
inhabited territory on earth.2 Modern humans had
earlier left Africa to populate the rest of the globe
during the period known as Out of Africa migration.
Today, a continent
ntinent of estimated 1.1 billion people as
of 2013, which is the world’s second largest and
second-most-populous
populous (only next to Asia), has lost it
leadership pride. Today’s leadership is neither
futuristic nor communal in focus. It is more a web of
materialism,
ism, declining spiritual commitment, fraud,
rivalry and unpleasant Moslem-Christian
Moslem
relations.1
the same worms that have eaten deep into Africa’s
secular leadership have encroached into church.
For Africans the world over, the advent of
colonialism by Europeans
peans was a tragic
experience. In 1885 during the so-called
so
‘Berlin
Conference’, Africa was scrambled up among
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International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470
occupying powers with the sole aim of violently
looting as much as they could in their areas of
influence. Thus African states were created to
facilitate and ease the efficiency of rapid colonial
exploitation. The colony became a laboratory of
caprice where all sorts of clinical trials (political,
social, and cultural) were performed, causing
untold suffering to African communities- effects
of which still remain visible to this present
moment.3,4
Series of studies by both African and non-African
writers have chronicled the experiences, successes
and failures of leadership in post-colonial Africa. The
dialectical inter-phase that occurred during
colonization also left African leaders and citizens
ruined psychologically and intellectually. Since
colonialism, African states have frequently become
identified with violence, corruption, wars, famines,
diseases and authoritarianism.
According to the United Nations’ Human
Development Report in 2003, the bottom 25 ranked
nations were all African.5 What is the role of
leadership in this?As of 2005, the World Bank noted
that 80.5% of the Sub-Saharan Africa population was
living on less than $2.50 a day.6
Africa’s population is the youngest among all the
continent giving it the needed energy to redeem
herself if it so choose; 50% of Africans are 19 years
old or less.7
and speak on the present condition of the church in
Africa, it is imperative for one to have basic
understanding of the European and North American
ministry movements vis- a-vis their influence on the
origin and development of Christianity in Africa.11
The African Holocaust Society (AHS) long ago noted
that:
The greatest crisis facing Africa is a leadership
crisis, in all areas of people activity. In terms of
natural resources, Africa is the world’s richest
continent. Yet, despite this vast resource, the bulk
of African people live as if they were citizens of
deserts. Despite being home to millions of skilled
and talented innovators, African leadership
struggles to stimulate and retain its strongest
resource – the people.12
The position of the AHS can be tagged on all formal
institutions within Africa.
Leadership Definitions and Contextualization
There are many definitions for leadership as there are
many leaders. Zeitchick, CEO of Focal Point
Strategies defined it as, “Inspiring others to pursue
your vision within the parameters you set, to the
extent that it becomes a shared effort, a shared vision,
and a shared success.”
A second definition that extends our first comes from
the Australian C.A Gibb:
African Church at a Glance
Taking a quick look at the history of Christianity in
Africa, it is agreed that the church has come a long
way. Christianity in Africa took root in Egypt in the
middle of the 1st century. Tertullian, Mark the
Evangelist, Didymus the Blind, Augustine of Hippo,
Clement of Alexandria and Origen of Alexandria are
among the many others that influenced the early
development of the Christianity in Africa. 8
In 1900, only nine million Christians were in Africa
and grew to 516 million in 20109, 10
The church (a derivation from the Latin form ecclesia)
being the assembly of the called out through the
redemptive work of Christ, making it the congregation
of the Lord. It has gone through many phases over
several centuries. For one to be able to well analyze
Leadership is a concept applied to the structure
of a group to describe the situation when some
personalities are so placed in the group that their
will, feeling, and insight are perceived to direct
and control others in the pursuit of common
ends. Leaders in the group are those persons
who are perceived most frequently to perform
those roles or functions which initiate or control
behaviour of others towards the achievement of
group goals or sub-goals.13
A critical shortage of upcoming leaders is responsible
for the underdevelopment of organizations in many
African countries.1 Bad leadership has multiplier
effects.
Dysfunctional
leadership
generates
malfunctioning structure, distorts corporate vision and
breeds unproductive followers. Leadership succession
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will definitely be a problem as well under such
situation.
Those aspiring to the office of a leader ought to
deliberately count the cost. It is not an all comers'
game. It is indeed a noble office. A leader's greatest
credentials are not his organizational skills or
charismatic ability but his morals, relational skills and
family life. All else though important, remains
secondary and additional but not core.
Accountability is a crucial concept of leadership. Any
person who accepts responsibility also accepts the
need to be accountable for that responsibility. In view
of this, accountability thus flows upwards in the
institution or organization, whilst responsibility is
assigned downwards. Responsibility equally calls for
authority, which gives the leader the right to take
action and make decisions commensurate with
achieving those objectives.
The relationship which exists between responsibility,
accountability and authority, then, must be in balance.
Problems can arise where this balance does not hold
true.
Leadership with all its complexity and debate remains
a driving factor for the sustenance of society and
humanity. Our cosmos is structured in a manner that
makes leadership indispensible.
Leadership gives direction, distinction and drives to
an organization and people therein. It exists at all
levels of society and determines the future of a group.
The health of our leadership invariably determines the
health of a group. So also does the quality of
followers’ impact on the dynamics of a leader.
Leaders and followers collectively create and effect a
destiny. The opposite is equally valid.
For millennia, diverse leaders have emerged in human
history and made their marks. Some leaders are hailed
for
having accelerated
civilization, human
enlightenment, governance, and commerce and world
peace. Others have dragged us to war, societal
disintegration,
spiritual
apathy,
amorality,
organizational collapse, resource wastage, etc.
Some of the great leaders include Edward Wilmot
Blyden (1832 – 1912), Steve Biko (1946-1977),
Behanzin Hossu Bowelle (1841 – 1906), Dr. Amos
Nelson Wilson (1941 – 1995), Aesop (560 B.C.),
Cetewayo “Zulu King” (d. 1884), Ezana (330 – 356
C.E).12 Just to name a few. Reading through their
history gives us a vivid evidence of the influence of
leaders on their followers.
Having established the influence and impact of
leadership, it therefore presupposes that there is
neither rational nor spiritual justification for
submitting ourselves to a spiritual or secular leader
who clearly advises us not to emulate his moral and
family life.
Leadership is an uphill task and a challenging call in
all spheres of life. The more the number of
followership and the greater the consequences of our
decisions, the more costly is the leadership position.
Leadership Emergence
People assume leadership status in different ways and
via different means. Some are ethical while some are
questionable. There are those born into leadership. It
is thrust upon some while others earn it.
Leaders go by different tags (president of nations,
state governors, chief executives and managers of
corporations, union heads, religious leaders, coaches,
team heads, directors, overseers and a host of others.)
depending
on
their
environment,
history,
responsibility and institutional culture.
The influence of a leader is largely linked to his
authority, resources under his control, the impact of
his decisions, the number and mix of people under his
leadership.
Without being too deterministic, the general qualities
required of leaders irrespective of gender are
intelligence, personal maturity, self-confidence, selfawareness and social skills in recognizing and giving
value to the contribution of others according to the
group norms.
An effective leader is seen as an individual with the
capacity to consistently succeed in a given condition,
adaptive to change and be viewed as meeting the
expectations of an organization or society.
Leaders begin to fail when they promote the costly
assumption that their domestic and private lives are
excluded from public assessment and emulation.
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Leadership is a privilege and does not make the leader
more human than other humans.
It has become a common tradition for leaders
especially those in the spiritual arena to caution their
followers and the public from commenting negatively
about them. Yet the same leaders are yearning for
public applause and appreciations for their good
deeds.
Mark van Vugt and Anjana Ahuja in Naturally
Selected: The Evolutionary Science of Leadership
empirically presented evidence of leadership in
nonhuman animals, from ants and bees to baboons
and chimpanzees. They suggested that leadership has
a long evolutionary history and that the same
mechanisms underpinning leadership in humans can
be found in other social species too.14
Other historical views of leadership have addressed
the seeming contrasts between secular and religious
leadership. The doctrines of Caesaro-papism have
recurred and had their detractors over several
centuries. Religious thinking on leadership has often
emphasized stewardship of divinely-provided
resources (human and material) and their deployment
in accordance with a Divine plan.15
The truth and conscience demand we frown against
unhealthy, malicious criticisms and speak against
disrespectful comments against leaders. Our cultures
do not encourage public onslaught as it is amoral.
Collectively, all humans are custodians of creation.
Consequently, nature, tradition and the Supreme
expect us to support didactic relationship where
leaders and followers are accountable and responsible
to each other. None is to take undue advantage of the
other.
Societal well-being, individual full development and
God's pleasure are the objectives of true leadership.
Those objectives are the regulators of the interactions
between leaders and the led.
Cases of leadership failures
Christianity has been established for over one hundred
and sixty years in Nigeria and has witnessed
miraculous growth yet questions have risen over the
piloting of the leadership. Recent leadership crises in
Christendom include Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor,
President of Christian Association of Nigeria, whose
private jet was used by the Nigerian Presidency to
load huge hard currency to South Africa purportedly
to buy military hardware and his closeness to the
government. He has been openly defended by Pastor
Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed
Christian Church of God, who is assumed to be the
national pastor of Nigeria because of his open
fraternity with the elites and ruling class. It was
reported that Pastor Adeboye told his congregation
that a man of God cannot condemn another man of
God. This unending drama put the idea of ethical
leadership at a cross-road.
Elsewhere in Ghana, many individuals call
themselves men of God and impose such high titles as
Bishops, Prophets, Elders and Deacons etc without
properly adhering to the responsibilities associated
with such divine offices. Noting this unhealthy trend,
the African Religious Union of the Catholic Church,
Ghana in a communiqué after a four-day meeting in
Ho, Ghana, pointed out:
“Most of the self-imposed men of God had very
low educational backgrounds, and did not
understand the Bible, which had resulted in the
situation where they interpret the Holy Bible
according to their shallow understanding. It was
disclosed that the number of churches in Ghana
was currently 7,897 as at the end of 2010, and
most of these churches can best be described as
commercial entities.”16
Leadership conflict has been an age long challenge to
humanity. The reoccurring variables that many have
attributed to be responsible for the low ebb of
leadership in Christendom is the lack of systematic
theological education, absence of consistent doctrinal
statements, modernizing of spirituality and the
introduction of materialism into the church.
There isn’t much difference in terms of leadership
structures and understanding between top Christian
leaders and political leaders apart from the fact that
one group carries the Bible while the other relies on
the constitution. As a result, many clergies lack
courage to caution or condemn the ills of secular
leaders.
Leadership in Africa is characterized by primordial
parochial, personalized and selfish tendencies,
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political brigandage, ethnic rivalry and cleavages,
clientelism and privatized state apparatuses.17
Seteolu summarizes the challenge from Nigerian
perspective thus;
The political elite is not a productive class, but
rely on the control of state structures to access
economic rewards. The over politicization of the
Nigerian state is also understood in the context of
the unmediated struggle for power, influence and
patronage. The nature of political contest ensured
the emergence of a local governing class without
ideological commitment. Rather than pursue
political contests within ideological frameworks,
politics became a contested terrain for shallow,
self-centered political gains.17
From this obvious postulation, it would not be out of
place that there is equally ideological crises as closely
linked to leadership is ideology. In the absence of
visionary leadership to give a clear-cut ideology, a
nation or congregation continue to lack orientation
and commitment.18
Modern gender realities must be factored into our
contemporary leadership models and operations.
Leadership has for ages been erroneously seen to be
the exclusive of men. Women are still very few in
leadership because of some societal and historical
constraints. We will do well to reconsider this and
adjust appropriately. Both gender involvements in
leadership will stimulate full development and growth
of all members of our societies.
The decision to lead carries with it the responsibility
of being a beacon of light in all areas of life. A leader
should not expect the masses to praise his
achievements and be mute to his flaws. That will
amount to double standards.
It is not strange to see leaders talk-down on their
followers and erect a demi-god image of themselves.
This ugly creation makes the followers expect so
much from the leaders.
Followership is a beautiful office and not inferior to
the leadership office. Each must respect the other.
Both are vital and inseparable for functional and
progressive society. There can be no leader without
followers. The two are interdependent and should
mutually co-exist.
The saying that followers who tell the truth, and
leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination
which is attributed to Warren Bennis, underscores the
interdependence between leaders and followers. The
relationship leads to great synergy if properly
managed.
Spiritual or religious leaders must not practice the
vices they condemn in the secular leaders. Society is
maintained by the voice, values, virtues, ventures,
vision and vigor of leaders with spiritual leaders
taking the lead. The absence or depreciation of any of
these, damages a nation than epidemics.
It is no secret that mortal leaders are fallible. It is only
shameful when they gloss over it, cover it or
relentlessly defend it. Such attitude does not in a way
increase a leader’s respect.
We are admonished to guard against failures
connected to our integrity. If we eventually let down
our guards and fall, the path of acknowledgement,
confession and restoration is still the best and most
honorable in the long-run though embarrassing and
painful for a while.
A leader's sin is a leading sin. A leader's error is a
leading error. So also a leader's repentance is a
leading repentance.
Shared Traits of Model Leaders
A casual interaction with students, academics and a
wide spectrum of members of society reveals that an
individual who wants to serve as a model leader
should possess certain characteristics. Albert John
Luthuli, Leopold Senghor, Patrice Lumumba,
Angelique Kidjo, Nelson Mandela, John L. Dube,
Desmond Tutu, William F. Kumuyi are all African
model leaders and have these shared traits though
displayed in different ways.
1. Personality – A model leader has a pedigree.
2. Purpose - He has clearly defined vision and
mission that he is deliberately influencing the
followers to embrace and jointly labor for
attainment. He empowers the followers to take
ownership of the vision and equally share in the
achievement of the goal. The purpose defines his
behaviour, associates and needed resources.
3. Plan – The ideal leader has an internal locus of
control. He possesses environmental intelligence
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
and strategically plan programmes and activities
to attain the defined vision and mission. He draws
a roadmap for every essential step of the group’s
journey. The roadmap is not a law but a guide to
ensure arrival at the predetermined destination. He
does not wait for things to happen but rather make
things happen. He is not only on the lookout for
opportunities but creates them where none exists.
Passion – Not the lubricious type but always
luscious. A model leader has a course that he is
identified with. He has a drive for the betterment
of society. He has a voice no matter how small.
He might be involved in environmental protection
campaign, legal reform advocacy, human rights
activism or a host of other activities beneficial to
his community.
People – He has a recognizable group of
followers. He is aware of their mix which
influences how he relates with the group and subgroups. The followers’ strengths and skills are
elicited, developed, utilized and rewarded. He has
eyes for discovering talents and grooms them
through delegation. The people acknowledge him
as a leader. He knows his followers and strives to
live above them morally and intellectually.
Process – He is methodical yet flexible. He
develops a dynamic and identifiable approach to
doing things. He builds structures for
communication, relationship and productivity.
Period – A model leader recognizes the era in
which he lives and its characteristics. Each time in
human history is unique with its peculiarities. He
structures his approach to leadership and
interaction with his followers taking into
consideration the circumstances of the period.
Purse – The uproar and violence of the masses is
not unconnected to the inability of their leaders to
read, understand and respond to their feelings and
needs. A leader should not be disconnected from
his people and the realities on the ground. He
ought to be people-oriented, caring and proactive
in decision-making. He is abreast with economic
and societal changes. A model leader has
emotional intelligence and genuinely responds to
the plight of his people. He needs to lead by
serving. Problem identifying and solving are core
in his agenda.
Prelection – a leader that takes delight in teaching
and training his followers by way of
demonstration,
sermonizing,
reprimanding,
fellowshipping and appreciation. He is interested
in reproducing himself in his followers while
accepting and appreciating their individual
uniqueness.
10. Pillars – Ethics are core to model leaders. Ethics
are meant to be unchanging even in a constantly
changing world. The leader adheres to a set of
fundamental values which helps him to survive in
times of oppositions and conflicts. These ethics
are leaders’ strongest strength. When ethics
collapse, a leader loses a core part of his
uniqueness.
11. Pitfalls – Leaders are members of society and do
have apparent source of troubles or danger. This
could be childhood flaws, illness or external
challenges. We all have a past. Leaders are aware
of their past and acknowledge their flaws. They
straighten their records and guide against them
becoming a stumbling stone to both their present
and future activities.
12. Parenting - He has mentors and coaches that
sharpen him. He has people he is accountable to it.
He also committedly mentors others. Noel M.
Tichy, in his award winning book “The
Leadership Engine”, concludes that “…winning
companies win because they have good leaders
who nurture the development of other leaders at
all levels of the organization.”
Besides, a leader should call himself to question once
he discovers that he is violating the core doctrines and
principles he preached and stood by in the early years
of his ministry.
The major criteria for assessing a leader's worth are
his word, wife, wisdom, wards, ways, worship,
weakness, weapon and wagon. The more they all
agree, the better the worth of a leader. When they are
conflicting, then there is a fundamental problem.
Mark Sanborn asserted that, "a leader's credibility is
the result of two aspects: what he or she does
(competency) and who he or she is (character). A
discrepancy between these two aspects creates an
integrity problem. The highest principle of leadership
is integrity."
Followers’ Expectations from a Leader
The church must see itself as part of the society and
has God’s instrument for the provision, protection and
fulfillment of God’s plan for humanity. This
understanding would require, in the first instance, that
Christians feel themselves addressed by the issues
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which face Africa in the public sphere. That in turn,
demands that Christians go beyond matters of
inculturation and evangelization.19
Leadership is not a one-off function. It entails
functions and series of engaging task. In the present
African Church and in extension, the wider African
continent, a crop of individuals who can provide
diverse leaderships are in high demand. Followers
aspire for a person who will provide the under
mentioned types of leadership:
1. Visionary Leadership - Ability to give the
society and followers a lively sense of direction,
reason for existence and possibility of a better
future state. Ralph Waldo Emerson gives weight
to this when he said, “our chief want is someone
who will inspire us to be what we know we could
be.” Our vision must be in agreement with the
African philosophies and theologies which
frequently emphasize the importance of healing,
not just for the individual but for the communities
as well.19
2. Moral Leadership - In this era of unquantifiable
degree of immorality, a leader should provide
moral direction by living an exemplary morally
upright life. A good leader walks the talk and in
doing so earns the right to have responsibility for
others. True authority is born from respect for the
good character and trustworthiness of the person
who leads. Dr. William F. Kumuyi, General
Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church, Nigeria has
been a great advocate for righteousness and
upright living in Africa. He has continuously
echoed the importance of purity, justice, holiness
and societal relevance in his over 40 years of
pastoral work and church planting in more than 40
African countries and presence in every other
continent. He remains among the few impeccable
Christian leaders in Nigeria and Africa.
3. Entrepreneurial Leadership - Leaders ought to
be creative and have business prowess to
encourage others not to be lazy and government
dependent. This kind of leader will not be afraid to
roll up their sleeves and get dirty.
4. Family (Home) Leadership - Leaders are to be
good and responsible family persons. Followers
are desirous of people who demonstrate how an
ideal home should function. The mainstream
media is waging war against the traditional family
and shifting the ancient landmarks. Leaders who
will be in the frontline to help the church find it
footings and stand against the onslaught would
inspire followers.
5. Political Leadership - In this time of
participatory democracy, leaders should be
conscious of governance and give his followers a
focus without being partisan. This is crucial to
Africa’s health. Examples include the works of
Archbishop of Monrovia, Michael Francis and
Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane in South
Africa. In the new millennium, African leaders
cannot leave political education to chance because
such action will be detrimental to the successful
survival of generations to come in terms of
political education and maturity for the
enhancement of democracy.20
6. Resources Leadership - Leaders must teach
prudence by ethically managing and utilizing the
resources in their care. Many leaders are today
accused of financial mismanagement and living in
affluence at the detriment of their congregations.
Followers need leaders who have financial
integrity, sacrifice and transparency in the
administration of collective resources.
7. Communal Leadership - We need leaders who
will encourage communal co-existence and
religious tolerance without compromising
doctrinal truths. Christians, churches, activists,
and thinkers cannot refrain from engagement in
the public sphere. The silence of the church has
never favoured any nation. The gospel is
incarnational and essentially holistic.
8. Spiritual Leadership - We all acknowledge that
there is huge darkness in the land, so pray for
leaders who can guide and guard us to pray,
fellowship, worship and keep us connected to God
in a pure way.
9. Self Development (Actualization) Leadership A leader must have a personal passion and the
followers want to see it. He has to develop his
own skills and talent (singing, writing etc) and put
them to productive use. Followers learn so much
from this. A good leader is committed to
excellence. Second best does not lead to success.
The good leader not only maintains high
standards, but also is proactive in raising the bar in
order to achieve excellence in all areas.
10. Organizational Leadership - We are impatient
and want quick results. We want to reap without
sowing. Therefore, we need leaders to instill in us
the life of systems, processes, organization and
control.
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11. Crisis Leadership - There are moments of
disappointments, famines, confusion and troubles
at the micro and macro levels of society and
leaders ought to coordinate their followers at this
time. Robert Louis Stevenson encourages us to
keep our fears to ourselves, but share our courage
with others. This is more required of a leader.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was fond of
saying, “No pessimist ever won a battle.”
12. Environmental leadership - We need leaders to
encourage us to protect our ecosystem and biosystems. We need to think green and create a
quality environment. We can learn ideas from
organisations like Interfaith Power and Light ways
to lessen our carbon footprint in our churches.
13. Culture Leadership - Culture being the identity
of a people. We expect our leaders to uphold our
key cultural values while been open to global
dynamics and cross-cultural transactions.
14. Youth Leadership - Irrespective of the sphere in
which one is operating as a leader, followers
demand that we provide leadership to the
youngsters in our society. The youth are facing
challenges and need leaders who will understand
them, who are not strangers to their world and also
joyfully willing to guide them.
15. Knowledge/Intellectual Leadership - We yearn
for leaders who are not myopic in their learning
but who have read wide and open to diverse
sources of knowledge. He ought to be current as it
will aid the depth of his leadership and equip him
to relate with different calibers of personalities.
16. Doctrinal Leadership - We need leaders who are
grounded in systematic theology, pastoral ministry
and apologetics to conserve our religious heritage
and foundation from adulterations, falsehood and
secularism.
17. Reward Leadership- As a leader of people and
groups, one should be able to observe and analyze
peoples' contributions to societal progress and
create a mechanism for fair reward as a means of
motivation.
18. Model/Impartation Leadership – Dolly Parton
once said that if your actions create a legacy that
inspires others to dream more, learn more, do
more and become more, then, you are an excellent
leader. For leadership transition and succession
there must be impartation. So leaders are to coach
and mentor others in their footsteps to take over in
their absence. “A leader ... is like a shepherd. He
stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go
on ahead, whereupon others follow, not realizing
that all along they are being directed from
behind.” Nelson Mandela.21
19. Communication Leadership – “Say what you
mean, and mean what you say" is timeless advice.
Followers need someone who could communicate
their minds and as well communicate the minds of
others to them in a clear, concise, persuasive and
understandable manner
20. Health Leadership -maintaining a healthy living
is a big issue in our society with the constant
advertisements of junk foods. We need leader who
will support healthy living, exercise, etc.
21. Compassion Leadership- The world is in dare
quest for leader who will show love and inspire us
to love. Napoleon was right with his statement:
“Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have
founded empires. But on what did we rest the
creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ
founded his empire upon love; at this hour
millions of men would die for him. John C.
Maxwell did also write that, “People don’t care
how much you know until they know how much
you care.”
Characteristics of Effective Followers
Followers come in various stripes. Some are fooled by
the leader; others follow with their eyes wide open,
hoping to score points.22
You and I cannot be a good leader unless we are or
can be a good follower. Followers can make or break
the leader influencing if and how goals are
accomplished.
Barbara Kellerman, a leadership lecturer at Harvard
University says that significant shifts in technology
and culture have changed the traditional dynamics
between leaders and followers, giving followers more
power. He went on to add that there is a lot you can
learn about being a good leader by learning to be a
good follower.
The philosophy of followership as a noble calling was
popularized by Robert Kelly in a 1998 Harvard
Business Essay “In Praise of Followers” as well as in
his book The Power of Followership. His purpose in
the two works was to dismantle the negative
stereotype of followers and give credibility and status
to the role.22
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To be an effective follower, the following
characteristics must be present. Conversely, a
follower who wants to become a leader must learn to
nurture these qualities.
1. Information – Loyalty should not be blind or
limitless it therefore becomes absolutely necessary
for a follower to be educated. It might be
reasonable to report a leader to an appropriate
authority when he is doing something illegal.
Being well informed equips us for health
participation in a leader’s vision.
2. Interaction: Good followers have a commitment
to personally communicate with other followers
and the leader. Interaction brings about,
understanding,
socialization,
sharing
and
exchange. Attending forums and events organized
by a leader is important.
3. Integration: Good followers know how to get
integrated into their team or institution. They
collaborate with others in creative ways to bring
out the best in themselves and others. This
integration will also produce loyalty to the leader
and the leader’s vision. It aids also in reviewing
and correcting the shortfalls of a system.
4. Ideology – Good followers seek to understand and
internalize the vision and ideology of the leader.
They take on, embody and live out the vision and
mission of their leader and of the organization,
helping set and model a cultural standard.
5. Immaculate – avoidance of immodesty. A
follower ought to be honest and trustworthy. Good
followers are humble, disciplined and have
complete integrity. They are impeccable, self
aware and don’t need all the attention from the
leader.
6. Impartial-analysis: followers should learn to be
even-handed when assessing their leaders. You
need to be able to think for yourself so that you
can aid the leader when he or she is doing the
right thing, and to stand up to the leader when he
or she is headed in the wrong direction.
7. Interpersonal skills – a follower must be able to
understand and communicate with the leader and
other team members. Good followers learn to read
people and understand what upsets and motivate
them.
8. Innovative – they understand what needs to be
done next before having to be told, and they are
always looking for ways to make the process
better. Demonstrates behaviour that elicits creative
ideas that enables values and vision to be realized.
The ability to ask relevant, probing questions and
foster innovative ways of seeing and thinking
about ordinary things.
9. Interest – A Good follower needs to develop
interest in his leader and learn to support them
emotionally by verbally appreciating them. You
praise the leader in public and condemn him in
private. A follower should happily share his
leader’s vision and successes with others
especially those who are not aware of the leader
and his work.
The liturgy of the altar does not end at the door of the
church but extends into daily experience and practice
as a liturgy of life.23 It is worth noting that our
destinies are linked to the leaders we follow,
therefore, we must consciously participate in their
leading us. Being aloof is catastrophic. It is no crime
to quit from a leader who we know is obviously
drifting us from our destiny.
Leaders should avoid seeing their followers as pawns,
a mere means to an end, thus confusing manipulation
with leadership.
Leaders should learn to deal sincerely and honestly
with other leaders within their folds and those of other
denominations irrespective of mere doctrinal
difference, so that the question of mistrust and
suspicion amongst them would be wiped away.17
Leaders are called to lead and watch over their
followers while the followers are equally expected to
learn and watch over the leaders. Let the equation and
equilibrium balance.
CONCLUSION
The challenge is clear. The church in Africa has
registered growth success in the areas of
evangelization, infrastructural development, building
social services and holds immeasurable capacity for
expansion and continental transformation yet it has
not fared well in the sphere of leadership, leadersfollowers exchange, ethics and spirituality.
The continual neglect of these issues will spell doom
for the collective integrity and future. The health and
outlook of Africa secular leadership are not
unconnected to the state of our spiritual leaders.
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The human capital needed to strategically turn around
things in Africa is massively available. Many scholars
have stated that Africa is the centre of God’s move in
this dispensation. Our leaders will do well to take
advantage of this situation.
The continent is looking forward for the revival of the
church leadership as a catalyst for reform in the
various sectors of the nations. The earlier those
entrusted with the soul and destinies of our church
realized their God’s given position and live up to
expectation the better for the church and Africa. I also
call for more empirical research into the connection
between the impacts and interplay between Africa
Church leadership, secular leadership, citizens’
development and continental progress.
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